He always seems to have the A's in contention even with a very low payroll.
2007-03-02 08:58:12 · 12 answers · asked by The Man in the Yellow Hat 2 in Sports ➔ Baseball
Considering the limited amount of money he has to work with I'd say yes, he is one of the best GM's, perhaps the best. Yankees23 mentioned Brian Cashman as the best and he does a great job, no doubt. However Cashman has Steinbrenner's deep pockets to work with so it's a bit easier for him to come up with the blue chip players.
2007-03-02 10:04:53 · answer #1 · answered by Yankee Dude 6 · 7⤊ 1⤋
He is very good, but he has a massive ego, and sometimes it gets in the way. He had a very good manager in Ken Macha, but wanted a manager he could control so Macha is gone. He hired his buddy, Bob Geren because he knew that Geren would do what he said. I do think that Beane is a good evaluator of talent and has hired good people, but he has to step back a little bit. I know he is big on his "moneyball" theories, but sometimes you have to deviate from that approach, and maybe get away from the high on-base approach and get more speed and power. The A's are always in contention, but their lack of offense seems to catch up to them every year.
Ah, the Cashman bashers. Cashman only has to sign the checks? Has anyone noticed he is doing all he can to lower the payroll? When the Yankees won from '98-99, he had a big hand in it. When they started overspending, it was because of Steinbrenner's cronies, who whispered in Steinbrenner's ear. Now that they are out of the picture, we will see how great Cashman really is.
Who's the moron giving everyone a thumbs down? I think that except for one, all of these are good answers.
2007-03-02 20:14:46 · answer #2 · answered by Jeffrey S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Branch Rickey would be a good choice. Not only did he intergrate baseball, but while he was GM of the St Louis Cardinals he helped develop the baseball farm system.
However, my choice would be George Weiss - the onetime GM of the NY Yankees. Read the link I found and you will see why.
Beane has a long way to go before he reaches either of their levels.
BTW Cashman is not a bad choice for "best current GM" - before Steinbrenner went wild and wanted ARod and the other high price players, Cashman built a great team that managed to win a few WS. Now that the Yankees seem to be back under his control it will be interesting to see what they can do in the next couple of years.
2007-03-02 18:42:02 · answer #3 · answered by Mike S 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Maybe not the greatest ever ... but certainly close. You are correct - he really does not have any payroll. Not only does he make great trades, he also makes outstanding draft books. One of my favorite books is Moneyball - you should read it - it is all about Billy Beane and the Athletics.
2007-03-02 17:08:35 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
No, i actually perfer my very own Walt Jocketty. he does have a bigger payroll than Beane, but Walt has made some great trades in the last few years.
2007-03-02 18:46:45 · answer #5 · answered by Wham 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Currently maybe. If he did not put his foot in his mouth twenty years ago, Al Campanis of the Dodgers may hold the title.
2007-03-03 00:45:56 · answer #6 · answered by Craig G 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Another vote for Branch Rickey.
2007-03-02 21:39:13 · answer #7 · answered by bhalpern123 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In your dreams. I think the best GM ever has to be the guy who risked a lot by bringing in Jackie Robinson to break the racial barrier. Branch Rickey is the best ever...or was(now that he's dead).
2007-03-02 17:34:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
No Walt Jocketty of the St.Louis Cardinals IS.....he does more with less money and talent than any GM in baseball.
2007-03-02 19:14:14 · answer #9 · answered by tds_1967 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
all cashman does is sign checks, if he were in a smaller market like Oakland or Minnesota he would out of a job in a year. what cashman has been doing doesnt take skills
2007-03-02 18:21:36 · answer #10 · answered by question 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋